Monthly Archives: June 2014

Crookes Radiometer — June 17 is William Crookes birthday. Crookes was an English chemist best known for the discovery of the element thallium. Crookes was sent a ten pound sample of sludge from his former teacher August von Hofmann. Crookes had moved his research from organic chemistry to the study of compounds of selenium. The […]

Today In Science History – June 17 – Crookes and ...

This entry was posted on June 16, 2014 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on August 24, 2024)

Valentina Tereshkova — In 1962, the Soviet space program had already achieved several firsts of what would become the Space Race between the United States and Soviet Union. They had already launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1 into low Earth orbit in October 1957. Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in […]

Today In Science History – June 16 – First Woman ...

This entry was posted on June 15, 2014 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on June 21, 2021)

First Aviation Fatality — Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier was a French science teacher. As curator of King Louis XVI’s natural history collections, he was a celebrity in Paris society. He would perform scientific demonstrations with a theatrical flair for the nobility. In one notable demonstration, he filled his lungs with hydrogen and blew his […]

Today In Science History – June 15 – Hydrogen Balloons

This entry was posted on June 14, 2014 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on June 15, 2022)

Helium Atom — Atomic mass is the mass of a single atom. This is found by adding up all the protons, neutrons and electrons in the atom. One proton has a mass of 1,836 electrons. Since electrons barely change the outcome of the atomic mass, they are generally left out of the calculation. […]

How to Calculate Atomic Mass Tutorial

This entry was posted on June 13, 2014 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on July 7, 2026)

Karl Landsteiner — June 14 is Karl Landsteiner’s birthday. Do you know your blood type? The letter designation used in blood types was developed by Karl Landsteiner. He was the first to separate types of blood by identifying the antigens on the surface of blood cells. He found four different classifications or types: […]

Today In Science History – June 14 – Blood Types

This entry was posted on June 13, 2014 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on October 25, 2023)

Firework Color Elements — Learn how firework colors work, including the characteristic colors of elements and other chemistry that makes color and special effects.

How Do Fireworks Get Their Colors? Firework Colors Chemistry

This entry was posted on June 13, 2014 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on July 8, 2026)

Red & Blue Fire Tornado — It’s fun and educational to make a tabletop fire tornado or fire vortex. Why not experiment with color, too? The easiest variation is the green fire tornado, but you can use other chemicals and a similar technique to get other colors or even multiple colors. This fire tornado showcases red […]

Make a Tabletop Fire Tornado: Red and Blue Flames

This entry was posted on June 13, 2014 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on August 25, 2021)

Thomas Young — June 13 is the birthday of Thomas Young. Thomas Young was an English polymath who demonstrated light behaved as if it was a wave. He performed an experiment where he covered a window with paper allowing only a pinhole of light to pass through into the darkened room. This ray of light […]

Today In Science History – June 13 – Thomas Young

This entry was posted on June 12, 2014 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on October 8, 2025)

Bee Waggle Dance — June 12 marks the passing of Karl von Frisch. Frisch was an Austrian zoologist who received a third of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discoveries involving bees. Frisch’s first discovery was bees have color vision. He proved this by feeding bees drops of sugar water placed on […]

Today In Science History – June 12

This entry was posted on June 11, 2014 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on June 21, 2021)